GSA's Telecommunications Procurement Program Requires Comprehensive Planning and Management

Highlights

GAO addressed the General Services Administration's (GSA) management and procurement of telecommunications equipment and services under the divestiture of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) and the Federal Communications Commission's Second Computer Inquiry.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected	Recommendation	Status
General Services Administration	The Administrator of General Services should take prompt action to issue a request for proposals (RFP) to competitively procure the equipment that is currently leased under novation agreements with AT&T Information Systems.	Closed – Implemented Equipment procured under novation agreements with AT&T for Washington, D.C., Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania has been competitively acquired. Agencies, which are currently using equipment under novation agreements, should have equipment competitively acquired by early spring, 1986.
General Services Administration	The Administrator of General Services should take prompt action to identify and define basic requirements to be met in both developing RFP's and awarding contracts for future aggregated switch procurements.	Closed – Implemented GSA has issued a model RFP which it will use in later procurements. GSA has also developed standard forms for defining requirements and has a contractor on-board to help agencies define requirements.
General Services Administration	The Administrator of General Services should delay the issuance of additional RFP's for aggregated switch procurements until the requirements for them are developed.	Closed – Implemented Experiences from the aggregated switch procurement in region I were incorporated in the procedures developed for later procurement requirements.

Full Report

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Topics

Government Operations

Agency missionsCompetitionFederal procurementTelecommunications equipmentTrade regulationTelecommunicationsProcurementSolicitationsBid proposalsGovernment procurement